Diwali-festival of pollution?

Last week was a bright week to all of us. We all celebrated the festival of lights-Deepavali with our family and friends. Diwali is also one of my favourite festivals. But the only thing I hate in this festival is crackers. The amount of pollution that is caused by these crackers is unimaginable. 

During this festival, air pollution rises to dangerously high levels. The harmful effect of Diwali remains for many days or even months. On the Diwali night, after I finished my dinner, I came out and looked up at the sky. I could see the smoke that looked like clouds. I was shocked to see the amount of smoke that was produced just within a few hours. And the next day, the headlines in every news channel said "India's capital, Delhi, woke up to the grey skies". This was not just in Delhi, but the whole country woke up to the grey sky. India is the world's third largest carbon emitter. The reports say India must reduce it's carbon footprint by 33%-35% by 2030. Twenty of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India according to world air quality report. 

                    Smog in delhi after diwali

These things are not something we should be proud of. Almost one third of deaths in India every year are due to air pollution. And most of the people in India get respiratory problems during Diwali. Not just humans, crackers cause a negative effect on animals too. When my neighbours were bursting crackers, there was a cow in front of their house. Every time a loud cracker was bursted, the way it hid itself in the bushes due to fear was painful to watch. And every time a loud sound was made by a cracker, I could see birds flying aimlessly in anxiety. And dogs!! India is known to have large number of street dogs. Every street in India has at least one or two street dogs or even a group of 10 to 15 street dogs. But what's surprising was, there was not even one street dog in the streets during Diwali. Who knows where they hid themselves. 

Every year many environmentalists come out and educate people to stop bursting crackers. But the number of crackers that is bursted every year is not decreasing. All of us are educated. We all know the effect of bursting crackers. We all know how our grandparents keep the windows shut to avoid the noise and to avoid the smoke entering the house. We all know how our kids lose their eyes or get hurt while bursting crackers. We all know how our new born babies are frightened every time a cracker is bursted. We all know how frightened our pets will be when a cracker makes a loud noise. Yet we are the ones who burst crackers. We are the same people who put ten's of photos about saving environment in our WhatsApp statuses, forward long messages about conserving our nature, click pictures of planting a tree on environment day. And later we are the ones to burst crackers and pollute our Earth. Diwali is the festival of lights. But are we really celebrating it that way? Diwali is supposed to spread brightness and happiness everywhere. Instead it has now become a festival of increasing pollution. This time It's Delhi, next time it might be our place. I see no good in bursting crackers. But what's done is done. Damage is already done. We should correct it before it's too late.

Environment day is not just one day. We should celebrate every day as environment day. It is our duty to keep the earth green and clean.

OCEAN IS ON FIRE!

"Ocean is on fire!" For anyone wondering, yes it is Ocean! Ocean is water and water is on fire! Does that even make sense? Well, we are in 21st century and a lot of surprising and unbelievable things are happening in the world. But ocean burning in the fire is something which is very hard to even imagine.

Friday morning, that is on July 2nd, a well-known Mexican state-owned oil company reported a leak in oil submarine pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico. It was a 12 inch pipe line and the gas leak was massive. The gas leak caused the pipeline to catch fire. Now I guess even water can catch fire. Humans made that possible! Anyways the fire was extinguished later. The company said no injuries or evacuation were reported in the offshore due to the fire. Well, the company is just worried about the human injuries and the human loss.  Of course, human life is what we all care about, right? 

But what about the marine life?

              Ocean on fire in the Gulf of Mexico

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not a new thing. Many oil spills and explosions have occurred there. The oil spill and explosion in Gulf of Mexico that took place in 2010 is considered as the largest Marine oil spill in the history. It took the lives of 11 workers and the company had to pay billions as the compensation. But its impact on the sea water and the marine life was unimaginable. It took away the lives of lacs of birds, turtles,  fishes and many sea animals. Reports say that the wells' reserves are still leaking and it may continue for the next hundred years if it isn't capped. By this we can say that Gulf of Mexico is already a polluted place. And today, exactly a decade and a year after, the same place was on fire. Friday this place was on fire for more than five hours! Though the reports on the impact of this oil spill has not been released yet, we can imagine it might be very severe.

                     A brown pelican coated in oil 

           released by the oil spill disaster in 2010.

Oceans are not only useful for marine life.  They play an important role in human lives as well. The ocean produces over half of the world's oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. Oceans host 80 percent of the planet's biodiversity and are the largest ecosystem on earth. Oceans also have a huge role in maintaining earth's climate. Over 90 percent of the additional heat caused by the global warming is stored in oceans. Covering 70 percent of the Earth's surface, they transport heat from equator to the poles, which regulates our climate. Without the  oceans, world will lose 97% of its water and biodiversity. 

A world without oceans is unimaginable. The very first thing we should do now is stop polluting the seas and oceans. The most devastating element of this pollution is plastic and oil spills. Plastic takes thousands of years to decay. As a result, they may end up as the toxins for fishes and other sea animals and birds. If the Marine animals are exposed to these toxins continuously, their respiratory system may collapse, they may die from skin allergies, their reproductive system may fail which might lead to their extinction. But ocean pollution is not only harmful for sea animals but also for the human lives. Consequently, the toxins of the plastic have entered the food chain, threatening the human health. If humans are exposed to these toxins for long periods of time, then this can result in dangerous health problems, which include hormonal issues, reproductive issues, and also damage our nervous system and kidneys. Without healthy oceans, life on earth may be severely challenged. The oceans are the life support system for all the living beings. That's because life on earth can go on without much land, but it cannot exist without an ocean.

Of course the undersea pipelines are necessary to transport fuel, oil and gas. But, Is it right to harm the marine life for our need? We are already polluting oceans in many different ways and now the ocean is on fire because of us! What should we do now? Spray some water on it? Or fight the fire on the water with.. WATER? The world is being destroyed right before our eyes and WHAT ARE WE DOING?

Vidhisha Gauthami G P

ANIMAL EXTINCTION- A THREAT TO HUMANS!

Recently, I came across a news article. The Northern White Rhinoceros which survived 55 million years on the earth and saw the ice age, numerous earthquakes, meteor strikes,  could not survive humans. The great beast is now extinct! Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhinoceros died in 2018 leaving only two female Northern White Rhinoceros in the world. The main reason for the extinction of this animal was poaching. Poaching has decimated this population and loss of habitat also derived the rhinoceros to the brink of extinction.

            Northern White Rhinoceros

Animal extinction is one of the most serious issues of our modern life. Though animals are way stronger than humans, they are facing their extinction due to human activities. Wild animals are known for their toughness. They have evolved for thousands of years, have developed features like thick for strong teeth and bone for their survival. But humans are taking advantages of these features by killing them and selling them. However, strict laws have been enforced by the government to stop these type of activities.

The main reason for animal extinction is loss of habitat. Due to rapidly increasing human population, there is an increase in urbanization and industrialization. As a result of this, deforestation takes place. When forests are cleared off, animals lose habitat which in turn threaten their survival. Over exploitation is also one of the main reasons for animal extinction. Hunting, poaching, overfishing can result in loss of large number of animals. Ofcourse there are a lot of other natural reasons for animal extinction, but we, as humans, should try our best to save animals.

There has been an average 68% drop in global population sizes of amphibians, birds, fish, mammals and reptiles between 1970 and 2016, according to the World Wildlife Fund(WWF)’s Living Planet Report 2020. More than one million species are now at risk of extinction. As scientists estimate, we are currently losing species 1,000-10,000 times faster than before, which means that literally tens of species are vanishing from the face of the Earth every day. At this rate, almost one third to one-half of all species could become extinct by 2050.

World without animals is unimaginable. Losing animals can lead us to the extinction also. We must act now, before it's too late. Though scientists, environmentalists are trying hard to save them, we, as individuals, should try our best to protect them. We should try to be more eco-friendly. Animals have equal rights as much as we have. We should always remember that man is a part of nature, not it's master!

REIMAGINE, RECREATE, RESTORE!

Environment is the most precious gift to humans and also to every creature on the earth. Precious, a word used to something that is of great value, something that cannot be wasted, something that should be treated wisely. Air, water, soil, trees, forest, plants, ocean, animals, every element of this environment is precious. Earth is precious and our environment is the most beautiful thing on the earth. But any precious thing that is treated carelessly, does not remain the same, it changes! We start losing that thing. And now, our environment is changing and we are slowly losing it.

Temperature on the earth is increasing rapidly every year. The 7 warmest years in the 1880-2020 record have all occured since 2014. Sea levels are raising and our lands are sinking. Major cities like Venice, Jakarta, Bangkok, also including Mumbai and Kolkata are in the list of rapidly sinking cities. Pollution is increasing everyday. Air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution all are becoming a common thing in today's world. Extreme weather conditions like drought, flood, cyclone are becoming more frequent and more severe. 

Painting courtesy:Amrutha Chinmayi G P

Deforestation is the major problem today. Globally we deforest around 10 million hectares of forest every year. Even though half of this deforestation is offset by regrowing forest, we lose around 5 million hectares of forest every year. The research says 15.3 billion trees are chopped down every year. Many species and animals lose their habitat. Once thier habitat is lost, they are on their way to extinction. According to the recent estimates, the world is losing 137 species of plants animals and insects every day due to deforestation. By this, we can say that we are losing our biodiversity, our ecosystem, our environment. Even if this is not extreme, even if we won't see the results of this act in the near future, when the time comes, it is going to happen fairly rapidly. There's a saying "We will never know the worth of water until the well is dry". Let us not wait till our earth becomes worse. Let us not wait until we lose our environment completely.

It's World environment day today. It is one of the biggest events celebrated every year in the world. We all have heard of environment conservation ever since childhood. UN started to celebrate this day to encourage the world wide awareness and take action to conserve our environment. The theme of this year's environment day is "Reimagine, Recreate, Restore". This year marks the beginning of decade on "Ecosystem Restoration". The UN has given the call. This is our moment. We cannot turn back the time. But we can grow trees, green our cities clean up the rivers and restore our ecosystem. It is the people's day to take care of the earth and the environment. The human population must bring some little changes in its lifestyle that can help restore the natural order of environment. Let us all REIMAGINE a beautiful green planet, RECREATE a healthy environment, RESTORE the ecosystem. Better environment, better tomorrow! HAPPY WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY!

We are the part of solution!

Yesterday we lost a great environmentalist Sunderlal bahuguna who is known as the father of Chipko movement. He always said, "Ecology is a permanent economy" . In the memory of the great soul we are at the verge of celebrating one more international biodiversity day.

Can we imagine our earth without animals, plants and other organisms? 

Definitely no! I can not imagine a world without them. There is nothing more important than air, water, soil and biodiversity.

BIODIVERSITY! 

Biodiversity makes up all living organisms including plants, animals and  microorganisms. In biodiversity, each species, no matter small or big, has an important role to play in ecosystem. 

The importance of biodiversity is unimaginable. It provides all natural services. It is the reason for the continuity of the earth and the balance of ecosystem. This is the thing that is keeping us alive. Biodiversity provides a wonder of how things are amazingly beautiful, inspiring and diverse in nature. But this biodiversity, which is a result of over 3.5 billion years of evolution, is now danger. 

And definitely, we, humans, are responsible for this. In the present era, human beings are the most dangerous cause of loss of earth's biodiversity. It is said that around 30% of all species on the earth will be extinct by 2050. And this is not ok! Even if a small element of an ecosystem breaks down, the whole system's balance is threatened. Biodiversity is priceless. It cannot be maintained by keeping few species in zoos or by conserving them in national parks. It is together that we will be able to save our biodiversity.

The theme of this year's biodiversity day says "We are the part of solution #fornature". It is the continuation of last year's theme, "Our solutions are in nature". Though many scientists and environmentalists are trying hard to save our biodiversity, they are failing. None of us can act alone. We all are the part of biodiversity and it is our responsibility to save and preserve it. 

All it needs is to be left alone. Let us all try our best to save our biodiversity. HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DAY OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY!

Corona - Vaccine for mother earth!

So I am back after an year maybe. In this one year, lot of things has changed. Life isn't the same as it was before. Many have lost their loved ones and many are still suffering. There's a lot of negativity around us. Right now it is very important for us to stay strong and stay positive. So can't we just look at the positive side? Ofcourse corona has made a big negative impact on the world. But this crisis has brought a positive impact on the earth's environment.

Due to this pandemic, daily life of the world was put to halt. Looks like earth has taken advantage of this situation. Due to the lockdown imposed all over the world, all types of social, economical industrial activities were shut down. As a result of this, the air quality, water purity has improved. Less noise pollution, undisturbed and calm wildlife! 

It is said that 7 million people in the world die because of air pollution every year and 12.5% of all deaths in India are due to air pollution. The Major impact of this lockdown was on the air quality. Not only the air quality, but also water quality is also improving. If the water quality is improving, it directly benefits the aquatic life. Clean water bodies help in maintaining the biodiversity. 

Reports also say that there is 50% reduction in sewage, noise pollution has decreased upto 35%, pH of rivers has increased by 7.9%. As the wildlife remains undisturbed, animals are in their natural habitats and we can see no wild animals in the urban area. 

By this we can say that earth is healing itself. To earth, corona is acting as a vaccine and us humans are definitely the virus. This pandemic gives us hope that a better and healthy earth is possible. Protecting our earth is in our hands. And we have to do is learn to live with the minimum. Use vehicles only if it necessary, not to travel unnecessarily, use eco-friendly products, growing more plants and trees, avoiding deforestation, treatment of sewage, following social distancing and restricted human interaction with other people as well as with the nature can be a blessing for the environment. So, on this mother's day, let us protect our mother earth by just continuing what we are doing now!

-Vidhisha Gauthami G P

Women, The Real Spirit of Environmental Conservation

Women, The Real Spirit of Environmental Conservation

As we all know today, March 8th, is celebrated as International women’s day across the world. The main purpose of this celebrating this day is to make women realise their worth in their family and in the society, boosting them to achieve as per their actual potential. On this day, the world unites to appreciate their courage to cross all the hurdles and make such tremendous improvement in all most all the spheres of life. No doubt, women can do wonders. We have many examples to prove it. 

Involving women in environmental protection would help the society to develop the sense of responsibility needed to maintain a good balance between humans and the natural resources. Growing population and technological progress are continuously putting pressure on the environment and on country’s natural resources. Over-exploitation of the country’s resources like land, water, fuel etc. has resulted in degradation of resources mainly due to industrial pollution, soil erosion, deforestation and urbanization. 

Hence, it is very much important to conserve and promote the natural resources and environment. Women have direct contact with natural resources like fuel, food and fodder, forest, water and land especially in rural areas where 70% of Indian population reside and directly dependent upon natural resources. Most of the women use these natural resources to satisfy the basic needs of their families.  By this we can say that women play a critical role in managing these natural resources. Women can also participate in environmental conservation by gardening. 

Gardening plays a crucial role in environmental protection. In this day, the carbon has increased in the environment. Gardening can protect our environment. It can minimize the effect of greenhouse gases. Gardening can reduce pollution, reduce soil erosion, maintains ecosystem and many more. It also has many scientific uses. We know that gardening is mostly done by women. 

Hence women can also conserve environment by their gardening skills. We, girls, are no less. This is proven also. We have many women environmentalists between us. Greta Thunberg, Maneka gandhi, Saalumaradha Thimmakka, Vandana shiva, Wanghari Maathai and many more. By this we can say that women are the real spirit of environmental conservation. Let us take them as our inspiration and work to save our earth.

-VIDHISHA GAUTHAMI.G.P